【推荐1】For famous photojournalist Sir Don McCullin, the landscape has changed since the days when dozens of printed pages were devoted to his photo stories, leading him to declare, “Photojournalism is dying.” According to Sir Don McCullin, newspapers and magazines are much more interested in the wealthy, the glamorous and celebrities. They don’t want suffering people in their newspapers. Photojournalism hasn’t lost its way but it’s been conveniently pushed aside. Shrinking editorial budgets, increasing competition and mistrust of the Press are just some of the factors impacting photojournalism. But the power of photography endures and technology is allowing photographers more creative freedom than ever before. The world is hungry for visual storytelling, but will photojournalism survive?

We spoke to photojournalists working in this industry about the state of affairs today, and asked their opinions about photojournalism in the digital age.

Ilvy Njiokiktjien

“Assignments have changed, so people don’t need to go somewhere for months to work on one project. When Don McCullin’s pictures were making it into the newspaper, his images would be the news. Now if I take a picture at Nelson Mandela’s funeral, for instance, there are 300 other photographers there. There are so many images that you are never going to really shoot an iconic image. You’re not the only one there — there are your colleagues and there are people with cellphones. I don’t think a single image will ever lose its power. Single images, to me, are so strong — I can look at a single image and never forget it. But there are new ways of storytelling — with cellphones, with interactive online experiences and virtual reality. Therefore, it’s important to see what matches the story.”

Jérôme Sessini

“I think now we are freer than before because of technology. Besides, we don’t care about the newspapers like people did before. We get free from the newspapers, so we are able to tell stories in the way we want to tell them. In my opinion, pictures can express emotions — I believe more in emotions than in rationality. I don’t want to tell people, ‘this is like this’, or ‘like that’. I want them to first feel something from the pictures, and then ask some questions. They will have to find the answers by themselves.”

Magnus Wennman

“When I started, press photography was a pretty old-school profession, but today it’s completely different. It’s not about the technique any more. It’s about telling stories, and you have endless opportunities to tell stories by means of pictures. If you are engaging in storytelling, I would say your future is very bright. Photojournalism is more democratic. As a matter of fact, nowadays we can see people shooting with their cellphones anywhere. Photojournalism is no longer the privilege of those working at newspapers. The new generation of photojournalists should work in a completely different way. As you see everywhere, visual storytelling is getting more and more important. If you’re good at that, you’re going to survive.”

Daniel Etter

“A lot of people have been declaring that photojournalism is dead and, somehow, it’s still around. It’s still alive, and it’s still kicking — maybe not quite as hard as in Don McCullin’s days, but it’s still important. It doesn’t have the impact it once had, and it will never have that impact again. I always believe photography plays a role, but if there are better ways of telling visual stories, I’m fine with that. The biggest problem we are running into now is how to make others believe us. Look at how really basic facts are in question nowadays. To make our work a reliable source of information is our biggest challenge. I haven’t figured out a way to make news more trustworthy — the only thing we can do is do good work. That means doing research and trying to represent events in a fair way.”

1. What does Ilvy want to say with the example of Nelson Mandela’s funeral?

A．Great news like this is always attractive.

B．Taking a satisfying picture is really difficult.

C．Too many people take up photojournalism.

D．Popularity of cellphones threatens photojournalism.

2. What idea do Sessini and Wennman share?

A．Good pictures are worth all the hard work.

B．It’s better to let the picture itself tell stories.

C．Technology is photographers’ greatest enemy.

D．Photojournalism will be the first to be kicked out.

3. What does the underlined sentence mean?

A．Photojournalism enjoys great popularity nowadays.

B．Photojournalism is really a promising career in the future.

C．Everyone can report news stories using photos taken by themselves.

D．Photojournalism has lost its appeal for those working at newspapers.

4. What does Etter say about photojournalism?

A．It is not as influential as in Don McCullin’s days.

B．It almost died in Don McCullin’s days.

C．It may have an even better future.

D．It actually exists in name only.

5. What can we learn about Etter?

A．His talent was once questioned.

B．He is optimistic about his future career.

C．He will resign from his job sooner or later.

D．He is seeking suitable ways to tell visual stories.

【推荐2】The summer I was ten, my mother decided to bring us to the world of art. My brother and I were not very excited when we realized what my mother meant. What she meant was not that we could take drawing classes or painting classes but that we would have to spend one afternoon a week with her at the Fine Arts Museum. Before each visit to the museum, she made us read about artists and painting styles(风格). It was almost as bad as being in school. Who wants to spend the summer thinking about artists when you could be with your friends at the swimming pool?
First we had to read about ancient Egyptians(古埃及人) and their strange way of painting faces and then go to look at them at the museum. My 12-year-old brother thought this was so funny, but I was not interested. Later we had to learn about artists in the Middle Ages who painted people wearing strange long clothing. We had to look at pictures of fat babies with wings and curly (鬈曲的) hair and with no clothes on flying around the edges of paintings. I certainly couldn’t see what was so great about art.
On our last visit to the museum, something happened when I saw a painting by a woman called Mary. In it, a woman was reading to a child. The colors were soft and gentle, and you could tell by the mother’s expression how happy she was just to be with the child. I couldn’t stop looking at this painting! I wanted to see every painting Mary had ever made! It was really worth looking at so many paintings to find a painter who could interest me so much.
1. The aim of the mother’s plan was to _________.

A．take them to visit the museum

B．introduce them to the world of art

C．ask them to read about artists

D．show them different painting styles

2. What was the writer’s experience in the museum before the last visit?

A．She came to feel her mother’s love.

B．She could understand the pictures of fat babies.

C．She liked many paintings.

D．She hardly enjoyed herself.

3. What made the writer go through a change that summer?

A．Artists in the Middle Ages.

B．A strange way of painting.

C．One of Mary’s paintings.

D．Her mother’s instruction.

4. From the text, we can see _________.

A．the importance of curiosity

B．the power of family education

C．the value of learning

D．the effect of art

【推荐3】Childhood is a time of limitless possibilities. And old age is the time of wisdom. But for children who face the monster of cancer, their lives are fast-forwarded into profound wisdom. Not only do they have hand-to-hand struggle with the limits of life, they face it with raw truth and courage. For them, life is hard-won yet full of unbelievable hope, and is to be lived to the fullest.

We have much to learn from these children.

That’s what art therapist, Lisa Murray, believed as she worked to help children with cancer to release their feelings through their drawings, which have turned into a book, Angels & Monsters.

Murray found that in their struggle, kids would tell her constantly, “I’m just a regular kid; I just want to play, to go to school, to go outside ... I just happen to have cancer.”

She was moved and inspired by their simple will to survive. The children were facing the disease head on. She saw some powerful images in their artwork. “What courage does it take to do that?” said Murray.

Murray selected 25 children aged 13 months to 18 years. She asked the four-year-olds and up, “If you could tell the world what it is like to have cancer, what would you say, what would you draw?” For two-to three-year-olds, she asked, “What do you want to tell people about yourself?” And for the youngest, she just took their handprints. It’s such a human expression, “Here’s my mark,” said Murray.

She then asked them about their pictures and wrote down exactly what they said. This gave the artwork a powerful voice. Coupled with Murray’s photographs of the children in the book, the three forms of expression leave both a permanent record and lasting impression with the viewer.

As a therapist, Murray doesn’t give the kids the impression that the drawing process is right or wrong. Whatever they draw is unconditionally acceptable. “Children play, they draw, and that’s the natural language of children. That’s why art therapy is so wonderful,” she said.

1. What are children with cancer like in the eyes of Murray?

A．They are energetic and active.	B．They are wise and hardworking.
C．They are courageous and optimistic.	D．They are thoughtful and kind-hearted.

2. What does Murray do in the process of the children drawing pictures?

A．She lets them draw whatever they like.

B．She teaches them how to draw naturally.

C．She gives them advice about what to draw.

D．She makes sure what they draw are acceptable.

3. What does the underlined “the three forms of expression” refer to?

A．Their drawings, their voices and the book.

B．Their drawings, their handprints and the book.

C．Their drawings, their words and the photos of them.

D．Their drawings, Murray’s questions and the children’s answers.

【推荐1】Elena Yi dreamed of pursuing piano performance in college, never minding that her fingers could barely reach the length of an octave (八度音阶). Unable to fully play many works by Romantic-era composers including Beethoven and Brahms, she tried anyway— and in her determination to spend hours practicing a Chopin concerto, wound up injuring herself.

The efforts of Professor Carol Leone   from the   Southern Methodist University (SMU) are changing all that: twenty years ago, the school became the first major university in the U.S. to introduce smaller keyboards into its music program, leveling the playing field for Yi and other piano majors.

Yi, 21, tried one of the smaller keyboards, “I remember being really excited, because my hands could actually reach and play all the right notes,” she said.

For decades, few questioned the size of the traditional piano. For those with small hand spans (掌距), it’s difficult to properly play many works of Beethoven and Brahms. Those who attempt to play them either get used to skipping notes or risk injury with repeated play. Leone is familiar with such challenges. Born into a family of musicians, she favored classical music and pursued piano despite her small hand span, and earned a degree as a doctor in musical arts.

The idea of smaller keyboards first met resistance from some traditionalists. Leone also said that when she raised the issue with one Viennese professor, he told her there were already too many pianists anyway.

Though such resistance is fading, there are some very traditional people who think of piano as a competitive thing. Leone said, “This is art, not sport. It’s about making as much beautiful art as possible, and we should give everybody the opportunity to do that.”

1. Why did Elena Yi find it hard to play a Chopin concerto so well?

A．Her fingers got injured.

B．It was time-consuming.

C．Her hand spans were small.

D．The traditional piano was out of tune.

2. What is paragraph 4 intended to do?

A．Summarize the previous paragraphs.

B．Add some background information.

C．Introduce a new topic for discussion.

D．Provide some advice for pianists.

3. What is the Viennese professor’s attitude towards smaller keyboards?

A．Disapproving.

B．Objective.

C．Unclear.

D．Positive.

【推荐2】A student is learning to speak British English. He wonders：Can I communicate with Americans? Can they understand me? Learners of English often ask：What are the differences between British and American English? How important are these differences?

Certainly, there are some differences between British and American English. There are a few differences in grammar. For example, speakers of British English say “in hospital”and “Have you a pen？”,Americans say "in the hospital" and "Do you have a pen?. Pronunciation is sometimes different. Americans usually sound the "r" in words like "bird" and "hurt". Speakers of British English do not sound the "r" in these words. There are differences between British and American English in spelling and vocabulary. For example, "colour" and "honour" are British."color" and " honor" are American.

These differences in grammar, pronunciation, spelling and vocabulary are not important. however. For the most part, British and American English are the same language.

1. According to this passage, a student who is learning to speak American English might be afraid that          .

A．the grammar is too hard for him

B．American people cannot understand him

C．British people cannot understand him

D．the spelling is too hard for him

2. What is NOT mentioned（提及）in the passage?

A．How important the differences are.

B．Whether British English and American English are one language or two.

C．Whether there are differences between British English and American English.

D．How the differences between British English and American English came about.

3. Most         say "Do you have a watch?"

A．Americans	B．British people
C．children	D．teachers

【推荐1】Fifty years ago, the well-loved musician Bob Dylan played at the Newport Folk Festival and was widely booed (嘘声). The audience may have been unhappy but Dylan’s performance helped change the direction of music and culture in the United States.

　　The mid-1960s were a time of great change. One such place of change was the world of folk music. Bob Dylan became a symbol of change when he moved from acoustic (原声的) to electric guitar.
　　Rock music historian Elijah Wald has written a new book about the change. It is called “Dylan Goes Electric”.
　　“There was a moment in the early 1960s when you could look at the Billboard charts and seven of the top 10 albums were folk records. And Joan Baez, Peter Paul and Mary, the Kingston Trio, all had huge, huge, huge number-one records.”
　　And then this happened: The “British Invasion” introduced the world to the Beatles and grew a huge fan base for rock music. “That worried many folk musicians,” says Elijah Wald.
　   They hoped that Bob Dylan would come to the rescue. However, a new Dylan sound came from the stage.
　　Bob Dylan had gone electric, and the followers of folk music were not pleased.
　　“When Dylan went electric, I think one of the issues was the feeling that — wait a minute, he’s gone over to the enemy.”
　　Folk lovers had looked to Bob Dylan to save their movement from rock and roll. But, author Wald says Dylan felt differently about the music.
　　“Dylan had always liked rock and roll and Dylan didn’t think of rock and roll as stupid music.” In fact, Dylan was a Beatles fan. He later said that from the first time he heard the Beatles he knew “they were pointing to the direction where music had to go.”
　　Beyond the music, Dylan’s performance that night also marked a turn in American culture.
1. How did the audience feel when Dylan played at the Newport Folk Festival?

A．Unsatisfied.	B．Respectful.
C．Uncaring.	D．Excited.

2. Which is TRUE about American music world in the early 1960s according to Elijah Wald?

A．Great changes had taken place in folk music.

B．People had grown sincere love for rock music.

C．Folk music was once a huge mainstream pop trend.

D．Bob Dylan was the best American musician at that time.

3. What did folk musicians and followers expect Dylan to do?

A．Introduce the world to the Beatles.	B．Change folk music for better.
C．Play rock and roll against the Beatles.	D．Recover the glory of folk music.

4. What will the author most probably talk about next?

A．Dylan’s beliefs in the new direction music should go.

B．Dylan’s deep love for the Beatles, rock and roll music.

C．Dylan’s music as a great contribution to American folk music.

D．Dylan’s performance as a mark of a change in American culture.

【推荐2】Having a sudden creative idea, Michael Jackson called the director John Landis after seeing his film An American Werewolf in London and they decided to create a short film called Thriller with a budget much larger than previous music videos. That was Jackson's sixth studio album. Michael Jackson reunited with his fifth studio album Of the Wall producer Quincy Jones to record it. The pair worked together on 30 songs, nine of which were eventually included. Jackson wrote four songs for the video on his own. Recording took place from April to November 1982 all Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles, with a production budget of $ 750 ,000. But Jackson's record company, Epic Records, refused to finance it, so a making of documentary, Making Michael Jackson' s Thriller, was produced to receive financing from television networks.

Michael Jackson's Thriller was launched on November 30, 1982, in the United States and played regularly on MTV. It doubled the sales of Thriller, helping it become the best-selling album in history, and sold over a million copies on VHS, becoming the bestselling videotape at the time. The album won a record-breaking- eight Grammy Awards in 1984. including Album of the Year. It is credited for transforming music videos into a serious art form, breaking down racial barriers in popular entertainment, and popularizing the making of documentary format.

The album has had a lasting effete on popular culture, such as the zombie dance and Jackson's red jacket, designed by Landis's wife Deborah Nadoolman. Fans worldwide re-act out its zombie dance and it remains popular on YouTube. "The Library of Congress described it as” the most famous music video of all time". In 2009 , it became the first music video inducted into the National Film Registry as “culturally and historically" significant. Today, Thriller is still viewed in a positive light by people more than three decades later. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote that the record had something to interest everyone.

1. What inspired Jackson to make the Thriller video?

A．An American Werewolf.	B．His eight Grammy Awards.
C．His former album of the Wall.	D．Making Michael Jackson's Thriller.

2. What can we know about Quincy Jones?

A．He directed Off the Wall and Thriller.	B．He was probably the producer of Thriller.
C．He designed the plot of Thriller.	D．He wrote 5 songs for Thriller.

3. What helped the sales of the Thriller album?

A．The regular playing of the video on MTV.	B．Epic Records' refusing to finance Jackson.
C．Jackson's music creativity of the video.	D．The attraction of the zombie dance.

4. What's the purpose of the author in writing the text?

A．To discuss who contributed to Thriller.	B．To explain the reasons for making Thriller.
C．To introduce why Thriller was a great success.	D．To show Thriller's backgrounds and its effects.

【推荐3】Jamey Turner often performs to large crowds in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. You can find him playing an unusual musical instrument, the glass harp, near Alexandria's historic waterfront.

A glass harp is made up of different-sized drinking glasses, each filled with water. Turner makes music by running his fingers over the tops of the glasses. By doing so, each glass makes a different musical sound.

Turner is 78 years old now. He became interested in playing the glass harp at the age of six, when he heard his father playing with a glass of water at the dinner table. He has been playing it for 50 years.

Today Turner puts together his instrument by placing 60 different glasses on a wooden soundboard. He holds the glasses in place with rubber bands, which keeps them from breaking. He then adds different amounts of water to each one to create different musical notes. Adding or taking away just a little water will change the sound. Adding water to a glass will make a lower sound. The smaller bowls of water produce a higher sound, while the larger ones produce a lower, deeper sound.

Turner always uses low-priced glass because it sounds better than costly crystal and he has more control over the sound. Before buying new glasses, he will test them in stores.

The glass harp was popular 300 years ago when composers like Wolfgang Mozart wrote music for the instrument. There have been about 400 pieces of music written just for the glass harp. But Turner plays all kinds of music, even popular music from China. Few people play the glass harp these days, but Turner says he sees videos of people experimenting with the instrument on YouTube. He hopes the next generation will continue making their music.

1. What do we know about Turner?

A．He began playing the glass harp at six.	B．He often teaches glass harp lessons online.
C．He is a great master of the Chinese language.	D．He was inspired by his father to learn the glass harp.

2. What does the author say about the glass harp?

A．Its inventor is Wolfgang Mozart.	B．It is made up of glasses of the same size.
C．It appears to be gaining in popularity today.	D．Its sounds are affected by the water in the glasses.

3. Why does Turner prefer to use cheap glass?

A．To save money.	B．To produce better sounds.
C．To help recycle drinking glasses.	D．To increase difficulty in performing.

4. What would be the best title for the text?

A．Musician Pleases Crowds by Playing Glasses	B．Playing the Glass Harp: a New Trend
C．Jamey Turner's Dream Coming True	D．Wonderful Music Has No Borders